Ok, I haven't been in this thread for a little while but I'd like to respond, in general, to the last two dozen or so posts. In my original post I wasn't trying to say that a monetary payoff should be the ONLY reason for being in school. Personal growth and learning for the sake of learning are wonderful, but I don't fault people for putting money right up there. This is why my minors were literature and philosophy, and not a major. This is why I used up all my electives on Russian culture and film courses, because I have a passion for them, but I fully understood that I NEEDED my degree to pay off when I graduated. I went to a State School, worked through college, and I'm still going to be in debt for the next 8-10 years paying off my education. Now that I've graduated, and shell out 1300 a month in bills before food or gas (I'm saving on rent by living at home), I'm glad I didn't major in philosophy or literature. In fact, I wish I would've went to school for nursing, or an associates in criminal justice instead. Long debates with my philosophy professors, or nights at the bar with my Russian Lit prof talking about War and Peace are some excellent memories, but are they worth my debt? No.